China’s Q3 emissions post biggest drop since pandemic as Hormuz crisis curbs fossil fuel use

China’s carbon dioxide emissions from energy and industry fell 3.1% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026, the biggest quarterly drop since the pandemic, as the world’s biggest emitter used less fossil fuel, according to an analysis on Friday by the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). China cut its oil use by 4% during the quarter as the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz curbed energy shipments, said the CREA analysis, which was carried out for UK-based Carbon Brief. The analysis included emissions from fossil fuels and the cement industry